234723472347---- 427042704270 1, 2014 OCCUPATIONAL STRESS · PDF fileStress is a state of tension experienced by individuals facing extra ordinary demands, constraints or opportunities

S A M Z O D H A N AS A M Z O D H A N AS A M Z O D H A N AS A M Z O D H A N A –––– J o u r n a lJ o u r n a lJ o u r n a lJ o u r n a l o fo fo fo f M a n a g e m e n tM a n a g e m e n tM a n a g e m e n tM a n a g e m e n t““““

R e s e a r c hR e s e a r c hR e s e a r c hR e s e a r c h ””””

I S S NI S S NI S S NI S S N 2347234723472347---- 4270427042704270

V o lV o lV o lV o l 3333 I s s u eI s s u eI s s u eI s s u e 1, 1, 1, 1, O c t o b e rO c t o b e rO c t o b e rO c t o b e r 2014 2014 2014 2014

w w ww w ww w ww w w e e c m b a j o u r n a le e c m b a j o u r n a le e c m b a j o u r n a le e c m b a j o u r n a l i ni ni ni n.... .... 199

OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG WORKING WOMEN: AN EMPIRICAL

ANALYSIS

Dr. Anil Kumar, Professor & Meenakshi Yadav, Junior Research Fellow

Haryana School of Business, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science &Technology,

Hisar

Abstract

The paper endeavors to examine the occupational stress among working women in the

national capital region. A sample of 120 working women has been taken. Data has been

classified on the basis of age of working women. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has

been used to find out significant difference; if any between age of working women and

various occupational related stress faced by working women. Analysis of data highlights that

there exists significant between these two variables. Working women in lower age groups

least feels that they are having lack of opportunities and infrastructure when compared with

other age groups. Working women from the age group 35-45 least feel that they are having

too much responsibility as compared to working women from other age groups. It was found

that working women above 55 years faces the problem of occupational stress more as

compared with other age groups. Training should be provided to working women so that

they may be able to perform their dutied more effectively and efficiently.

Key words:

Occupational stress, Age, Working Women, infrastsucture, opportunities

Introduction

Globalisation and liberalisation of the economy has increased the competition among

corporate sector. Managers attempt to outperform one another to reach the top .In this

process manager fails to achieve the targets and face the problem which in common

parlance termed as stress. It also emerges in human being as a result of pressures

emanating from several experiences or challenging situation. Organisational life is quite

stressful. Work pressures, tight schedules, meetings, unhelpful colleagues, critical bosses,

incompetent subordinates made the life of executives quite miserable. Individuals and

organisations have to pay economic and human cost due to these problems. Stress may be






due to problematic relationship with superiors or co-workers such as conflicts, unfair

treatment, contradictory work demand, role overload, job stability, factors intrinsic to job,

role in organisation, organisational structure and climate. Stress at work is an increasing

problem resulting in enormous cost for individual employees as well as corporate

organisation including both men and women.

According to health and safety executive (HES) stress is defined as “the adverse reaction

people have to excessive pressures or other type of demand placed on them”.

According to Palmer, Cooper and Thomas “stress occurs when the perceived pressure

exceeds your perceived personality to cope”.

Occupational stress is defined as a response to chronic job-related stress, characterised by

physical and emotional exhaustion (Maslach and Jackson, 1996; Onder and Basim 2008).

Occupational stress refers to the process through employees perceive, appraise and

respond to adverse or challenging job demand at work (Freseand Zapf; 1988). Job stress is

still a major rising concern in most countries. Job stress was defined as the occurrence of

negative emotions that are evoked by demanding situation in the workplace. Job stress and

strain may damage mental and physical health. Whether people perceive conditions as

stressful or whether these perceptions of stress lead to psychological, physiological or

behavioural outcomes, however depends on individual and situational factors-conditioning

variables (House and Wells, 1978; House, 1981; LaRocco, House and French, Jr., 1980.)

Stress is a state of tension experienced by individuals facing extra ordinary demands,

constraints or opportunities.

Review of literature

The literature cites the various studies conducted in this area. The some of the studies

conducted in this area have been discussed in the following paragraphs:

Sveinsdottir et.al, (2005) compared the occupational stress, job satisfaction, working

environment, support from co-workers and opportunities to develop professional skills

among Iceland nurses. Occupational stress differs between cultures and countries and it

diminishes the nursing quality. A sample of 206 nurses was taken. Demographic

information, working conditions, job satisfaction, and occupational stress were included in

the questionnaire. SPSS was used for analysis. ANOVA, Chi-square test and Pearson






correlation were used. It was found that demographics variables did not differ significantly.

Nurses were least satisfied with salary and opportunities for promotion. Shortage of staff

led to stress. Nurses outside hospital significantly received less support compared to

hospital nurses. It was suggested that preventive measures must be introduced to overcome

stress.

Narayan S.J. (2005) focussed on women in management and occupational stress. Women’s

are being called the managers of 21st

century. A sample of 30 women managers from

Durban and surrounding areas was taken. Organisational policies, structure, culture, factors

intrinsic to job of management, quantitative and qualitative workload, leadership style,

career development and individual characterstics are the sources of stress in work place. It

was found that there is no significant variation in stressors experienced by women

managers in public and private sector. Female skills and attitudes should be developed by

brand managers. It was suggested that ecosystem approach should focus on individual,

organisational and societal interventions be implemented to minimise occupational stress

among working women.

Praveen N. (2009) investigated occupational stress experienced by working and non-

working women of Hyderabad city. A sample of 180 working women was taken out of which

90 were married and 90 were unmarried. These two groups were analyzed by organisational

stress scale. Five point likert scale was used and it was found that unmarried working

women experiences low stress as compared to married women. It was concluded that

household responsibilities, marital adjustment, child caring issues and family relationship

are the sources of stress for married working women.

Anotonious et.al, (2006) identified the sources of occupational stress and professional

burnout experienced by teachers in Greece primary and secondary schools. A sample of 493

teachers was taken out of which majority of the teachers were married. Six point likert scale

was used and three dimensions of professional burnout were assessed that were emotional

enthusiasm, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment. The sources of stress

refer to problems while interacting with students, large number of pupils in classroom, lack

of interest from pupils and problem in handling students. Professional burnout was

examined by using bivariate and Univariate analysis of variance. Young teachers reported






higher level of burnout as compared to older colleagues. It was found that female teachers

experienced more stress as compared to male teachers. It was suggested that a proper

student ration teacher ratio be adopted to overcome this problem.

Adeline Broadbridge (2000) identifies the sources of stress among female managers in retail

sector. A sample of 132 retail managers was taken. Five point Likert scale was used. Work

overload, time pressure and deadlines, insufficient staff, long working hours are found to be

sources of stress. It was suggested that female retail managers have to work harder to prove

themselves to top management. Educational programmes, career planning, assertiveness

training, confidence building and successful negotiation should be adopted to overcome

stress.

Barbara et.al, (1997) focused on the critical life of women. Face to face interview consisting

of demographic details, sources of pressure, motivators and mental health. A sample of 82

female doctors was taken for analysis. T-test, Cronbach’s alpha was utilized to test the

reliability. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the sources of pressure. It was

found that hospital doctors are living alone childless. Career development, long working

hours, organisational climate, job demands and external factors were found to be the main

sources of stress. It was concluded that stress leads to organisational deficiency, increased

anxiety and dissatisfaction. It was concluded that women must be given encouragement and

support from superiors in order to reduce stress.

Rosalie (1980) compared the occupational stress profile of male vs. female administrators.

A 35 item questionnaire was developed for measuring job stress. A sample of 1156 school

administrators was taken. To examine the relationship between stress and each of the four

factors of stress correlation analysis was performed. It was found that female administrators

compared low level of stress than that of males. It appears that female administrators are

well prepared to perform their functions and activities.

Esther et.al (2007) identified and compared the international and cultural differences in

nursing workplace stress and coping strategies. 328 NSW (New South Wales) and 190 New

Zealand volunteer acute care hospital nurses participated in the study. The two regions

were compared on the basic demographics and SF-36 using T-test to compare percentages.

It was found that stress is associated with negative health effects. It was suggested that






providing nurses with greater workplace and professional autonomy could reduce

workplace stress. It was suggested that stress can be reduced by providing better health

benefits and through training in how best to cope with stress.

Orly et.al (2012) examined occupational stress among the nurses of the southern part of

Israel. The sample for the study was 36 registered nurses of 28 to 60 years of age and

consisted of two groups. A group study which participated in the CBI course and a control

group matched by age, education, marital status and hospital department. The data were

collected at two measuring points, at the beginning of the study and four months later upon

the completion of the study using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Seven-point

likert scale was used to which each of the 13 statements represented their attitude. Chi-

square test was carried out to examine differences between two groups on the categorical

demographic variables. T-test was used to examine differences in psychological variables

between the study group and control group. ANCOVA was used to test group effects on the

personality variables and transitory mood states.

Brenda et.al (2013) studied how nurses cope with occupational stress outside their

workplaces. A sample of 38 registered nurses in regional acute care hospital was taken. A

total of six focus groups were conducted to explore how nurses managed work-related

stress outside the hospital environment. From the focus groups 11 coping strategies

emerged including drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, using staff social club, using social

networking websites, exercising, family activities, home based activities, outdoor activities,

avoiding people and displacing anger. It was suggested that health care organisations should

explore ways in which they could be encouraged to be more activeboth at work and during

their leisure time. The limitation of the study is that it is based on female nurses and sample

size is also very small.

Vedat (2004) determined job stress and coping strategies in health care professionals

working with cancer patients. The main aim of the study is to find out differences between

job stress scores of physicians and nurses. What are the important health problems arising

due to stress and what are the important variables causing differences between the stress

scores of physicians and nurses and what strategies should be used in order to reduce

stress. A sample of 109 health care professionals including 57 nurses and 52 physicians was






taken. Self-reported questionnaire and job stress inventory was used to determine the

stress level of health care professionals. T-test was used to find out the relationship

between job stress scores, age and sex. Kruskall- Wallis Analysis was used to determine the

significance of relationship between marital and education status of job stress scores.

Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient was calculated to determine the significance of the

relationship between job stress scores, age and experience. It has been determined that

marital status, age and work experience have a significant relationship with job stress. Lack

of appreciation by superiors, unfairness in opportunities, imbalance between job and

authority, conflict with colleagues, role responsibilities, long and tiring work hours, lack of

adequate equipment’s, lack of time for family and social responsibilities and problems

experienced with patients and their relatives are the causes of stress among health care

professionals. It was found that there was no significant difference between nurses and

physicians in terms of overall score. Positive relationship with colleagues, loving ones job,

participating in socio-cultural activities together with their clinic member, earning money by

starting private practice, gaining the administration of superiors, patients and their relatives,

good dialog with the patient and communication with other staff, improvement of financial

status, attending dinners, going to movies, spending time with family, successful time

management, participating in meetings and conferences to develop oneself are the factors

that physicians. On the other hand increased social activities, music, tea breaks,

improvement in financial status, sharing problems with colleagues, harmonious team work,

and feeling of being productive and useful are the factors that are reducing stress among

the nurses. Headache, excessive nervousness, disturbances are the effects of stress on

health. It was suggested that mediating relationship between stressors experienced in

workplace and psychological morbidity are the coping resources used to reduce stress.

Nezhad et.al (2010) examined the occupational stress and family difficulties among working

female. A sample of 250 married working women with two or more children was taken.

Sources of work stress inventory consisting of sources of stress scale and general work scale

were used. Five point Likert scale was used. SPSS was used and data was analysed using

multivariate and correlation analysis. Family and difficulty are inter-related. Stress and work

family difficulty can make negative influence on individual mentality and health. Three






hypothesis were assumed first was a positive relationship exists between occupational

stress and family difficulties, second was significant multiple relationship will exist between

sources of stress and the third was work home interface was best predictor for family

difficulties in working womenThe results supported the entire three hypotheses and it was

suggested that mothers with high level of stress experiences difficulty in family. It was

concluded that educational tools must be developed to reduce stress among working

women.

Gibbons and Gibbons (2007) examined the occupational stress experienced by chefs. A

sample of 40 Northern Ireland chef and cook association and Northern Ireland tourist board

hotel was taken. General health questionnaire was constructed to experience the factors

contributing to stress and experience of stress. Regression analysis was used to predict locus

of control and occupational stress. It was found that there is no significant difference in

locus of control and number of working conditions such as employment contract and job

description. It was found that when nature of work changes it becomes less boring. Lack of

feedback on performance and insufficient management will contribute to stress. It was

suggested that increased communication in kitchen with management and supportive

environment may reduce stress. Job rotation and work appraisal should be adopted to

reduce ill health.

Carr et.al (2011) focussed on strategies for promoting a healthier and productive

environment. Employees in organisation faces higher or much higher stress compared to

normal stress. Stress negatively effects health and performance of employees. Stress may

be due to job demands, individual differences and social demands. Symptoms of stress may

be mental, physical, behavioural and emotional. Stress results into high absenteeism,

increased turnover rates, low productivity and poor quality. Regular exercise, meditation,

yoga and peer support helped to reduce stress. It was suggested that management should

improve communication, appreciate workload and ensure fair treatment of employees in

order to reduce stress. Reduced stress improves into quality of work and high performance.

The above studies have touched the various aspects relating to oocupational stress among

working women, but none of the study seems to have touched the area relating to






oocupational stress among working women at the regional or State level. The present study

proposes to fill the gap in existing literature.

Objectives and Research Methodology

The objective of the study was to study the major factors responsible for occupational stress

among working women. To achieve this objective the data was collected from 120 working

women. The survey was conducted in NCR region. The working women that formed the

sample were selected randomly keeping in mind the variation in age and type of occupation.

The survey was done with the help of a well-structured questionnaire based on Likert type

five point scale ranging from Never to Always”. Statistical tools like one way ANOVA, mean,

standard deviation are used to analyse the data.

Hypothesis of the study

The following hypotheses were framed and tested in respect of the factors causing

occupational stress among the working women

H1: There is no significant difference between age of working women and inability to give

time to family.

H2: There is no significant difference between age of working women and feeling of inability

to learn enough to take higher responsibility.

H3: There is no significant difference between ages of working women and feeling that

amount of work they have to do is more than it should be.

H4: There is no significant difference between age of working women and feeling that they

are having too much responsibility.


are having vague and unclear directions.


are having lack of opportunities.


are having lack of freedom.


are having lack of infrastructure and facilities.







are having lack of support from colleagues.

Results and Discussion

Each table shows age-wise distribution of working women and their association with each

statement among different age groups. For analysis age is divided into five classes: less than

25 years, 25-35 years, 35-45 years, 45-55 years and above 55 years.Twenty of the

respondents belonged to the age group ‘less than 25’, while 60 belonged to ’‘25-35’ years of

age group,19 belonged to the age group ‘35-45’, 12 fell under the age group ‘45-55’, and 3

respondents were found to be more than 55 years of age.

TABLE1: Age of working women and inability to give time to family.

Age in years N Mean SD F-value

Less than 25 20 2.90 1.20961 2.128, df=4

(.082) 25-35 66 3.0303 .99181

35-45 19 2.3684 1.3828

45-55 12 2.3333 1.4354

Above 55 03 3.6667 2.30940

Grand total 120 2.8500 1.19979

Source: Primary Survey

Table 1 shows opinion of working women towards their regards their inability to give time

family on the basis of age. Inability to give time to family is an important factor causing

stress among working women. However, among working women of different age groups,

the effect of this factors seems to vary. The overall mean score (2.8500) reveals that

working women sometimes unable to give time to their family. Working women in

the age group of 25-35 and above 55 are frequently unable to give time to their family.

Working women in the age group 35-45 more faces this problem relatively more as

compared to working women from 45-55 years of age. Working women from the age group

of 45-55 years least’s face this problem. Working women above 55 years of age more faces

this problem relatively more as compared to working women of other age groups.It may be






because in the age group 25-35 mostly working women are having growing children and due

to work load they are unable to give time to their children and the women above 55 years

have excess work load because of their experience due to which they are not able to give

time to their family as a result they feel stress. The F-value found to be statistically

significant. The hypothesis of no significant difference between the two variables stands

rejected.

TABLE 2: Age of working women with feeling of their inability, to learn enough to take

higher responsibility.


Less than 25 20 2.1500 1.46089 1.084,

df=4 (.368) 25-35 66 2.0909 1.11944

35-45 19 2.0000 .94281

45-55 12 1.4167 .51493

Above 55 03 2.3333 .57735

Grand total 120 2.0250 1.11115

Source:Primary Survey

Table 2 highlights the opinion of working women regarding their inability to learn enough to

take higher responsibility. The overall mean value of 2.0250 suggests that working women

are sometimes unable to learn enough to take higher responsibility. Working women below

25 years of age faces this problem more than working women in the age group 25-35 .

Working women in the age group of 45-55 years are occasionally unable to learn enough to

take higher responsibility. Working women in other age groups are sometimes unable learn

enough to take higher responsibility. While working women in the age group of above 55

years more faces this problem relatively more as compared to working women in other age

groups. It may be because they are unable to take challenging tasks the reason being they

are various office problems. It was suggested that more responsibilities should be given to

working women in 35-45 and45-55 age groups so that they can make best use of their

calibre and be able to learn enough to take higher responsibility. The F-value found to be

statistically insignificant. The hypothesis of no significant difference between the two

variables stands accepted.






TABLE 3:Age of working women with feeling that the amount of work is more.


Less than 25 20 2.1500 1.2258 0.259, df=4

(.904) 25-35 66 2.1061 1.03966

35-45 19 2.1579 .95819

45-55 12 1.8333 .83485

Above 55 03 2.3333 1.15470

Grand total 120 2.1000 1.03225


Table 3 highlights the opinion of working women towards the feeling that the amount of

work they have to do is more than it should be. The overall mean value 2.1000 suggests that

working women sometimes have to do more work. Working women in the age group of less

than 25 more feels that the amount of work they have to do is more than it should be.

Working women in the age group of 45-55 occasionally feels that the amount of work they

have to do is relatively more as compared to working women in the age group 25-35. While

working women in other age group sometimes face this problem. Working women above 55

years of age also feels that the amount of work they have to do is more than it should be as

compared to other age groups. It seems that organisations are imposing more

responsibilities on higher age groups and they are also having health problems due to which

they are not able to work more. Work overload is a major cause of occupational stress in

working women. The F-value found to be statistically insignificant. The hypothesis of no

significant difference between the two variables stands accepted.

TABLE 4: Age of working women with the feeling of having too much responsibility.


Less than 25 20 2.5000 1.000 1.742

df=4,(.146) 25-35 66 2.6970 1.13639

35-45 19 2.4237 1.36352

45-55 12 2.6667 1.37069

Above 55 03 3.6667 2.30940






Grand total 120 2.6500 1.18570


Table 4 highlights the age of working women and their opinion towards having too much

responsibility. Having too much responsibility is a major factor causing occupational stress

among working women. Overall mean value 2.6500 suggests that working women

sometimes feel that they are having too much responsibility. Working women above 55

years of age frequently feels that they are having too much responsibility. It may be because

they are having more responsibilities due to more experienced as compared to working

women of other age group. Working women from the age group 35-45 least’s faces this

problem. It is because they are more energetic and enthusiastic as compared to other

classes of age groups. It seems that working women in other age group might be having less

family responsibilities as compared to women above 55 years of age. The F-value found to

be statistically insignificant. The hypothesis of no significant difference between the two

variables stands accepted.

TABLE 5: Age of working women and having vague and unclear directions.


Less than 25 20 2.000 1.25656 .757

df=4,(.556) 25-35 66 2.4091 1.20227

35-45 19 2.4211 1.30451

45-55 12 2.1667 1.33712

Above 55 03 3.000 1.73205

Grand total 120 2.333 1.24572


Table 5 highlights the age of working women and their opinion of having vague and unclear

directions. Having vague and unclear direction is a major cause of occupational stress. The

overall mean value 2.333 suggests that working women are sometimes facing vague and

unclear directions. It may be because they are not having proper guidance and authority

from their superiors to do their job. Working women from the age group 25-35, 35-45, 45-

55 and more feels that they have to work under vague and unclear directions as compared






working women in the age group less than 25. On the othjer hand, working women above

55 years of age faces this problem more than other age groups . It is because they have to

face extra responsibilities, complex and heavy workload because of their experience due to

which they feel stress. The F-value found to be statistically insignificant. The hypothesis of

no significant difference between the two variables stands accepted.

TABLE 6 : Age of working women with feeling of having lack of opportunities.


Less than 25 20 2.8500 .98809 0.704, df=4

(.591) 25-35 66 3.2121 1.35323

35-45 19 3.8421 1.30227

45-55 12 4.000 1.47100

Above 55 03 5.000 .000

Grand total 120 3.3750 1.34766


Table 6 highlights the age of working women and their feeling of lack of opportunities. The

overall mean score 3.3750 suggests that working women frequently feel lack of

opportunities in their profession. Working women from age group less than 25 sometimes

feel that they have lack of opportunities. Working women in the age group 25-35 years, 35-

45 years and 45-55years frequently feels that they are having lack of opportunities. Working

women in the age group 25-35 years, 35-45 years faces this problem relatively less as

compared to working women in higher age groups. The mean score in the former case

varies from 3.2121 from 3.8421 whereas in the latter case the mean score value varies from

4 to 5. The highest mean scoreof working women in the age group above 55 further shows

that opportunities available to them are limited. More opportunities should be made

available to working women in higher age groups in order to utilise their experience. From

the table it is clear that the feeling of having lack of responsibilities is increasing with

increase in age.It is because younger working women are more adventurous as compared to

working women from older age groups. The F-value found to be statistically insignificant.

The hypothesis of no significant difference between the two variables stands accepted.

TABLE-7 Age of working women and feeling of having lack of freedom.







Less than 25 20 3.5500 1.14593 2.089

df=4,(.087) 25-35 66 3.1364 1.16205

35-45 19 3.2105 .97633

45-55 12 3.3333 1.37069

Above 55 03 3.6667 .57735

Grand total 120 3.2500 1.13944


Table 7 highlights the age of working women and their feeling regarding lack of freedom.

Having lack of freedom is an important cause of occupational stress. Overall mean score

3.2500 suggests that working women frequently feels that they are having lack of freedom.

It may be due to pressure from superiors. Working women in the age group of 25-35 years

least’s faces this problem as compared to other age groups. While working women in the

age group of above 55 years faces this problem relatively more as compared to other age

groups. It seems that the organisations are still lacking confidence to give freedom to

working women in the higher age groups. The F-value found to be statistically significant.

The hypothesis of no significant difference between the two variables stands rejected.

TABLE-8 Age of working women and feeling of having lack of facilities and infrastructure.


Less than 25 20 3.000 1.12390 2.293(.064)

25-35 66 2.8636 1.21385

35-45 19 3.4211 1.12130

45-55 12 2.1667 1.19342

Above 55 03 3.000 1.73205

Grand total 120 2.9083 1.21611


Table 8 highlights the age of working women and their feeling regarding lack of facilities and

infrastructure. Lack of facilities and infrastructure is an important factor causing






occupational stress. Overall mean value 2.9083 suggests that working women sometimes

face the problem of lack of facilities and infrastructure. Working women in the age group

35-45 sometimes face this problem.The least value of standard deviation in this age group

points out that the feeling was higher in this group as compared to other classes of age

groups.While Working women in the age group less 25 years and above 55 years of age also

face this problem the reason being young working women need more infrastructure due to

less experience. On the other hand working women above 55 years of age face this problem

due to lack of ability to handle various day to day office problems. Working women in the

age group of 45-55 least’s faces this problem.The F-value found to be statistically significant.

The hypothesis of no significant difference between the two variables stands rejected.

TABLE-9:Age of working women and lack of support from colleagues.


Less than 25 20 3.1000 .71818 2.500(.046)

25-35 66 2.8636 1.21385

35-45 19 3.4211 1.2130

45-55 12 2.1677 1.19342

Above 55 03 3.000 1.73205

Grand total 120 2.9083 1.21611


Table 9 highlights the age of working women and their feeling regarding support from

colleagues. Lack of support from superior and colleagues is an important factor causing

occupational stress. Overall mean value 2.9083 suggests that working women sometimes

faces stress. Working women in the age group of less than 25 frequently faces stress. It may

because they are fresh and have less experience as compared to other classes of age groups

due to which they did not receive support from colleagues. Working women in the age

group of 35-45 years more frequently faces this problem as compared to other groups. It is

because due to heavy competition between the working women they did not receive

support from their colleagues. While working women in the age group of 45-55 years least’s

faces this problem as compared to other classes of age group. The F-value found to be






statistically significant. The hypothesis of no significant difference between the two

variables stands rejected.

Conclusion

The foregoing analysis reveals that there exist significant variations between the age of

working women and various factors causing occupational stress. Working women in the

higher age groups face the problem of stress more than other age groups. The sources of

stress are household responsibilities, job demands, lack of support, lack of facilities and

infrastructure, having too much responsibility, inability to give time to family, inability to

learn enough to take higher responsibilities, having more work load, vague and unclear

directions. As the study was conducted in the NCR region a huge diversity was found

regarding the working women. It is the time to realise that working women significantly

contributes towards economic and social development of the country. The growth of the

working women should be looked upon from the perspective of family, state and national

development. In a comparable occupational setting, working women perceive higher level

of life stress and work stress It was suggested that working women must be provided with

peer support, favourable working environment, less working hours, proper supervision and

training, assistance with child care and developing zero tolerance policies to reduce stress.

References

1. Antoniou, A.S., Polychroni, F. and Vlachakis, A.N. (2006), “Gender and Age

Differences in Occupational Stress and Professional Burnout between Primary and

High School Teachers in Greece”, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 21 No. 7,

pp. 682-690.

2. Broadbridge, A. (2000), “Stress and the Female Retail Manager”, Women in

ManagementReview, Vol.15 No.3, pp.145-159.

3. Carr, J.,Kelley, B., Keaton, R. and Albrecht, C. (2011), “Getting to Grips with Stress in

Workplace”, Human Resource Management Internal Digest, Vol.19 No.4, pp. 32-38.

4. Chang, E.M., Bidewell, J.W., Huntington, A.D., Daly, J., Johnson, A., Wilson, H.,

Lambert, V.A., Lambert, C.E., (2007). “A Survey of Role Stress, Coping and Health in






Australian and New Zealand Hospital Nurses”. International Journal of Nursing

Studies Vol. 44, pp. 1354-1362.

5. Frese, M., and Zapf, D. (1988). “ Methodological Issues In The Study of Work Stress”:

Objective vs. Subjective Measurement of Work Stress and Question of Congitudinal

Studies. In : C.L. Cooper and R. Payne (Eds.) Causes, Coping and Consequences of

Stress at Work. (pp. 375-411). New York. Wiley

6. Gibbons, R.M., Gibbons, C. (2007), “Occupational Stress in Chef Profession”,

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp.

32-42.

7. Gupta, C.B, Human resource management, Sultan Chand and Sons, New Delhi.

8. Happell, B., (2013). “How Nurses Cope With Occupational Stress Outside the

Workplaces”. Journal of Sciverse Science Direct. Vol. 20, pp. 195-199.

9. House, James S., and James A. Wells. 1978. “Occupational Stress and Social Support”.

Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley

10. House, James S., and James A. Wells.1978. “Occupational Stress, Social Support and

Health. in ReducingOccupational Stress”: Proceedings of a conference, edited by

Alan McLean, Gilbert Black, and Michael Colligan. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department

of Health, Education and Welfare.

11. Isikhan , V. (2004). “Job Stress and Coping Strategies in Health Care Professionals

Working with Cancer Patients”. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, Vol.8, pp.

234-244.

12. Maslach, C., and Jackson, S.E. (1996). “ Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual”. 3th ed.

Palo Alto: Consulting Psychological. ( Binding Science Direct) Page 157.

13. Narayan, G.S. (2005), “Women in Management and Occupational Stress”, Agenda

Feminist Media, Vol. 65, pp. 83-94.

14. Nezhad, M.Z., Goodarzi, A.M., Hasannejad, L. and Roushani, K. (2010), “Occupational

Stress and Family Difficulties of Working Women”, Current Research in Psychology,

Vol.1 No. 2, pp.75-81.






15. Orly, S., Rivka, B., Rivika, E., Dorit, S.E., (2012). “Are Cognitive Behavioural

Intervention Effective in Reducing Occupational Stress among Nurses”? Applied

Nursing Research Vol. 25, pp.152-157.

16. Parveen, N. (2009), “Investigating Occupational Stress among Married and

Unmarried Working Women in Hyderabad City”, Bahria Journal of Professional

Psychology, Vol. 5, pp. 21-37.

17. Rao , V.S.P. (2012). Human Resource Management. Excel Books, New Delhi.

18. Sauter, S.L., Murphy, L.R. and Hurrell Jr, JJ., 1990, “Prevention of Work Related

Psychological Disorders”. American Psychologist,Vol. 45, pp. 1146-1158.

19. Sveinsdottir, H. ,Biering, P. and Ramer, A. (2005), “Occupational Stress, Job

Satisfaction and Working Environment among Icelandic Nurses: A Cross-Sectional

Questionnaire Survey”, International Journal of Nursing Studies, Vol. 43, pp. 875-889.

20. Tung, Rosile., “Comparative Analysis of the Occupational Stress Profile of Male

versus Female Administrators”, Journal of Vocational Behaviour. Vol. 17, pp. 344-

355.

21. White, B. ,O’Conner.D. and Garrett, L. (1997), “Stress in Female Doctors”, Women in

Management Review, Vol. 12 No.8, pp. 325-334.

Documents

234723472347---- 427042704270 1, 2014 OCCUPATIONAL STRESS · PDF fileStress is a state of tension experienced by individuals facing extra ordinary demands, constraints or opportunities